Netflix
At the Primetime Emmys in September, Netflix’s 2021 smash-hit Squid Game made history when it took home the lead actor and directing drama prizes. In their respective categories, both Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Dong-hyuk became the first-ever Asian winners, native Korean winners, and first winners for a non-English language series. That meant Netflix finally had something to celebrate in a year defined by backlash stemming from cancellations, layoffs, and bad reviews for its biggest shows—not to mention hemorrhaging subscriber numbers.
Squid Game is far from an anomaly in Netflix’s pantheon of global hits that are not in the English language. It follows popular shows like Lupin, Money Heist, Narcos, Dark, and Elite. The streamer is available worldwide, so it makes sense that viewers want to watch titles from different markets, regardless of the language or setting. In 2015, The Washington Post proclaimed that “Netflix is tricking audiences into embracing subtitles” thanks to shows like Narcos. (Which is a choice of phrasing that, now, certainly seems inelegant.)
Seven years later, the amount of non-English language series on the streamer continues to rise. A recent Whip Media report indicates that, of the new Netflix shows in development, 38 percent are in a language other than English. Of course, a Squid Game success story is rare—even more so when a series is not based on existing IP. It is notable, however, that Netflix continues to thrive in this sector and is still sinking money in splashy productions like the German series 1899, which was released last month.